Introduction:
Virtual reality analgesia is a novel tool that has emerged as an adjunctive to conventional pharmacological therapy to alleviate pain in patients undergoing plastic surgery. Pain is an unavoidable consequence of any clinical surgery or practice. It is of utmost importance to optimize pain control during any surgical procedure. Pain management should be very effective to boost the patient’s confidence, minimize opioid dependence, and reduce their fear and stress. Virtual reality analgesia might help to improve patient experience during a plastic surgery procedure.
What Is Virtual Reality Analgesia?
Jaron Lanier, a writer, musician, artist, and computer scientist, first coined the term virtual reality (VR). Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulated experience that makes use of three-dimensional objects and scenes, making it appear real and immersing the person in a virtual world. Virtual reality has been employed in various applications, such as the fields of entertainment, business, academics, and even healthcare. Its use in medical practice dates back to the 1900s.
In the field of medicine, virtual reality has been used in a user-friendly manner to improve the patient’s overall hospital experience and to allow doctors to simulate medical surgeries before proceeding with real-life patients.
Virtual reality analgesia is another emerging, novel, and promising tool in the field of medicine to alleviate pain in patients undergoing medical surgery. It is a type of pain management strategy utilized to reduce the sensation of pain as well as anxiety.
What Is the Use of Virtual Reality Analgesia in Plastic Surgery Procedures?
Plastic surgery procedures range from breast implantations, fat mobilization, lip augmentation, chin reduction, and rhinoplasty to hair transplants. These procedures include hand and body surgery. Plastic surgery is gaining popularity with each passing day. Patients are keen on getting cosmetic surgery procedures done in any form. There are a number of surgeries that have been performed, but patients are still afraid of going to the operation theaters because of the trauma of going through severe pain and undergoing general anesthesia procedures. Patients are even anxious about the plastic surgery treatment.
Therefore, virtual reality analgesia can be used to distract the patients from the real surroundings and alleviate their pain and anxiety. The users will be immersed in a simulated virtual world scenario to distract their conscious minds. This article highlights the multiple advantages of including virtual reality analgesia in plastic surgery.
How Is Virtual Reality Analgesia Used in Plastic Surgery?
An advanced computer software is used in virtual reality technology. It is easy to use and versatile technology that aims to be deployed in acute as well as chronic pain relief settings. A condition-specific software will further simplify and exacerbate the analgesic effect. The patients will experience the virtual effect through a device known as the virtual reality headset. Patients are made to wear this VR device.
Virtual reality (VR) helps to absorb the brain’s focus. As a result, a very few resources in the brain are available to perceive pain signals. Hence, the patient senses less or minimal pain. In other words, VR helps to rewire the structure of the brain.
What Are the Clinical Applications of Virtual Reality Analgesia in Plastic Surgery?
The clinical applications of VR in plastic surgery include the following areas:
-
Oral maxillofacial surgery.
-
Burns.
-
Craniomaxillofacial surgery.
-
Burn cases.
-
Chin augmentation or reduction.
-
Face lift.
-
Facial analysis.
-
Trauma cases.
-
Mandibular or maxillary reconstruction.
-
Oral squamous cell carcinoma.
-
Skin cancer.
-
Oculoplastic surgery.
-
Facial palsy.
-
Hand surgeries like tendon surgery, osteoarthritis, and microsurgery.
-
Breast surgery including breast reduction, augmentation, and reconstruction.
-
Hair implants or hair surgery.
-
Liposuction or figure surgeries.
What Are the Benefits of Virtual Reality Analgesia in Plastic Surgery?
-
Stress Relief - Surgery is often associated with complications. As soon as the patient is admitted to the hospital, a warning signal is perceived by the brain that something not so pleasant is going to occur. The brain is trained in this manner. The patient becomes stressed, anxious, and fearful. Their behavior is demonstrated through an array of nervous emotions and cold sweats. In addition to it, the hospital environment including smell of the medicines, the machine noises, and the cries of other patients, which add to the stress levels, worsening the agitated minds. Virtual reality helps to transform the perception of the anxiety-promoting ordeal by immersing the patient in a soothing and calm environment instead of focusing on the ongoing treatment procedure. VR helps to promote relaxation.
A multisensory experience is intended to be provided to the patient through a proper script and the use of amazing visuals that are well-directed. High-quality graphics, beautiful landscapes, hypnotic speeches, breathing exercises, and sound and melodious music therapy are being used to reduce stress and promote relaxation.
-
Alleviates Pain - By diverting the attention of the patient, this non-pharmacological therapy targets minimizing the sensory, cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial elements of pain. VR detaches the patient from the hospital room’s environment, taking them to an entirely new, imaginative world, thereby slowing down a minimum of five areas of the brain.
-
Reduction in the Need for General Anesthesia - Generally, plastic surgery procedures require general anesthesia. Medicinal analgesics come with their side effects and risks. Moreover, not all patients can tolerate the harmful effects of these analgesics. Some patients fear the administration of general anesthesia. VR analgesia can, therefore, be used in patients who are contraindicated for general anesthesia. The added advantage is that the patient can remain conscious throughout the plastic surgery procedure, which further facilitates a speedy recovery. Communication is also possible throughout the reconstructive surgery.
-
Decrease in the Patient’s Postoperative Pain - VR analgesia has no side effects and can be effectively utilized for follow-up appointments post-surgery, such as in the removal of dressings. Therefore, it helps reduce postoperative pain and anxiety in the patients.
Conclusion:
Virtual reality analgesia is a novel therapeutic tool that improves the patient’s hospital experience. It also minimizes the use of medical drugs that have their side effects, thereby alleviating pain, stress, and anxiety in the patients. It also accelerates the postoperative recovery in such patients. However, more research studies should be conducted on this technology to increase its usage and effectiveness.
